


ACT I - Unexpected Company

by Sylvas



Series: Cinders of the Emblem [4]
Category: Fire Emblem Heroes
Genre: Early Poly Angst, F/F, F/M, Multi, Other tags/characters maybe that I forgot I'll tag as I go, Polyamory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-25
Updated: 2018-07-31
Packaged: 2019-06-13 20:23:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 17,631
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15372615
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sylvas/pseuds/Sylvas
Summary: Askr is a curious place with strange ties to each of many worlds connected by the same fate; for the Heroes summoned there, it affords a rare opportunity for one to meet others from other worlds, or to perhaps meet someone from your own world you would never have had a chance to see otherwise. The Order of Heroes welcomes these moments of respite, for as long as they manage to last.Roy makes some new friends, and Corrin and Lucina are reunited with some old ones. Not everything goes the way they might hope.





	1. Chapter 1

_April 19_

 

The Order of Heroes held a banquet each time new heroes were summoned and joined Askr's forces. Roy's first had been in honor of his group, and it had been a fairly quiet, almost somber affair by comparison with the next; Corrin had been flooded with so many old friends - four younger siblings?! AND all of their retainers!? - that Roy had seen very little of her that evening. Which was fine, because he got to see an awful lot of her most evenings, anyway. He had spent that time quietly chatting with the newly-arrived Cecilia instead. 

But now, by his third, about two months after his arrival, the Order of Heroes' membership was large enough to be unwieldy; there was scarcely enough sitting space in the hall for everyone, and that honestly was quite impressive given the size of the hall itself. Kiran had assigned everyone's seating, and explained at the start of the dinner in front of everyone that the goal was to get to know as many other Heroes as possible. Roy supposed he could appreciate that. 

Before everyone was seated for dinner, there were a number of joyful reunions throughout the hall; still more of Corrin's siblings had returned, including an impressively buxom woman with violet hair that seemed to be catching _everyone's_ eye, but Roy also noted a petite woman with pale pink hair and a maid's outfit standing vigilant at Corrin's side, a cheerful smile on her lips. A retainer of Corrin's, perhaps? There were others, too - Princess Eirika, a soft-spoken and gentle-natured woman with a deceptively powerful sword arm, seemed hesitant to part with a man of similar stature and face that had arrived... perhaps a sibling? Princess Lucina, a name most everyone in the castle had at least heard by now, was sitting across from a man and a woman that seemed to be family, too. 

Perhaps the most fascinating newcomer for Roy, though, he found talking to Nino. He'd met Nino before but never had a good chance to introduce himself; she'd looked familiar when they first met, so it only struck him a _little_ strange when he found Lyndis of Caelin found chatting with her, all smiles and little giggles like they'd been best friends for years. 

Roy knew Lyn as both a close family friend, almost an aunt, and also a mysterious figure of inhuman talent with a blade. Though he'd always looked up to his father as a great knight, his father in turn spoke so reverently of Lyn's skill that Roy almost saw it as mythic. As a young boy, he'd met Lyn once or twice, when she would emerge from her home on the plains to visit her old friends, and Lyn had given him instruction with the bow when they had the chance - he knew her as a strict but gentle teacher, and someone with a pained but earnest smile that laughed more sincerely than just about anyone Roy had ever met. Except maybe Lord Hector, Elimine bless his soul. 

But - Lyn had died before Roy came of age. Roy had never learned how. Illness, most likely. All he knew is that she passed around the time his mother did. It was a dark time in his memory. But now seeing Lyn here - sprightly and upbeat, younger than the last time Roy had seen her - he didn't really understand how this could be, but... as he thought about the implications, he couldn't help but get... excited. Could he meet his father in his prime as the Marquess of Pherae? Could he perhaps see Lord Hector again? Maybe even his mother...? 

Lyn noticed Roy approaching before the girl did, and blinked at him a little blankly. Roy supposed that it was reasonable to assume that a younger Lyn might not know who he was, but - "Roy?" She smiled in disbelief and wonder. "Roy, is that you? Eliwood's son?" 

"Oh, so you do know me," Roy gasped. "Lady Lyndis, I... it's an honor to see you again, but I admit I'm very surprised!" 

"So am I!" Lyn laughed, opening her arms for an embrace - Roy hesitated, so she just stepped forward for him and hugged him, but it was pleasantly chaste and brief. Doting, like an aunt's. It was strange - he remembered this warm treatment, it felt just like "auntie Lyn" from his youth, but - she was younger... and he was older. "You've grown so much since we last saw each other," she said, as they stepped back. "For a moment I mistook you for your father." 

Roy felt his face turning red. "You flatter me," he chuckled, in spite of himself. 

Nino shifted forward a little. "You're Eliwood's son?" she asked, sounding rather surprised. Roy nodded, and offered her a hand. 

"Yes, I am," he replied, as she accepted. She had a bit of a hesitant handshake, and Roy found that kind of strange somehow. "I'm sorry I haven't had a chance to introduce myself before. Did you know my father?"

"I did," Nino agreed, shifting back again and smiling courteously. "He, um... Helped me out of a bad spot, I guess." She turned to Lyn a little bashfully. "Lyn did, too. I owe a lot to them both." 

"You know," Lyn said slowly, "at first, I thought it was a little weird that you remembered me. You were still just a toddler when I last saw you." Roy blinked at her, nonplussed. That wasn't true...? "But I guess since you're all grown up now," Lyn added cheerily, " _you've_ probably seen me a bunch, right?"

"Oh! Yes." Roy nodded eagerly, easily swallowing an initial discomfort. There was no need to mention Lyn's fate during his lifetime. "You taught me what I know of archery, in fact. I hoped I might learn a little about swordplay from you, too, but... we never really got the chance." 

"Well, maybe we'll have a chance now," Lyn said coyly, with a playful wink. "Who knows, maybe I can help you learn to be even better than your father." 

"I'm sure I have a long ways to go before then," Roy chuckled.

 

They were interrupted by a ringing of glass - Kiran, at the front of the hall, drawing everyone's attention to politely ask to take their assigned seats. Roy and Lyn said goodbye for the moment, and went to their separate tables - he caught sight of Eirika sitting at one where Lyn seemed to be heading - before he turned his attention back to his own table. 

This one was fairly small. There were only there assigned seats - two across from one another, one of which Roy took, and another on Roy's left with the rest of the table space. The man that had been speaking with Eirika before sat across from him, and another newcomer sat to their side. They each introduced themselves - the former as Ephraim, prince of Renais, and the latter as Alm, Emperor of Rigel.

"Emperor," Roy said incredulously, unable to stop himself. Alm laughed awkwardly.

"It's an inherited title," he said lowly, and Ephraim laughed once. Roy gave his own introduction; after so many of them here they felt like an automatic reaction, rather than anything sincere. Either way they gave their nice-to-meet-yous, and Roy listened as the two of them made conversation.

Rather than sitting at the table laden with food as Roy was used to, food instead was brought to them on great platters, carved or served in front of them at their request - in fact, more than they even wanted at first, until one of the servants pointed out a marker Kiran had left on their table to denote whether or not they were still hungry. It was kind of an interesting system, and seemed to be a rather efficient one as well, as the servants wove deftly between tables serving those who needed food and leaving the rest to their conversations. 

As he listened, Roy learned a great deal about his companions - Ephraim was not just Eirika's brother but in fact her twin, and Alm had been born in Rigel but raised in a neighboring kingdom; the three of them each shared a deep interest in military history and strategy, though Ephraim's was a good deal more personal than academic. They got onto the subject of magic before long, as well; Ephraim acted as though it mystified him, but in a vaguely dismissive way that made it sound to Roy more like he hadn't ever really given it a chance, rather than actually proving to himself he didn't understand it. Alm seemed more genuinely lost. Perhaps in his background he'd never had a chance to learn? 

"Eirika learned a bit of dark magic as a girl," Ephraim said thoughtfully. "She seemed awful skittish about anyone else knowing about it, though. I did always think it was out of character for her."

"Is she not the reverent type?" Alm asked, bemused. Ephraim shrugged.

"Not especially," he replied. "But she was always a very upstanding sort of person, you know? Not even that she cared too much about how people thought of her, but she was very caught up in what the right thing to do was - living up to our father's legacy and our people's expectations, and all of that."

"Gosh." Alm frowned. "That sounds like a hard way for anyone to live. I had a bit of an unusual upbringing by 'emperor' standards... I pretty much spent all of my time learning to fight."

"Were I only so lucky," Ephraim huffed. "There were times growing up that I wished I could go out into the world and make a difference by the point of my lance alone." 

"I know the feeling," Alm agreed somberly. "If only it was that easy." 

Roy looked between the two of them, as they both trailed off. Ephraim idly switched their marker. "Roy," Alm said, "you've been awful quiet. Feeling a little shy?"

"Not that," Roy huffed, mildly defensive. "I just don't have much to say."

Ephraim snorted. "You were above the adolescent fantasies of heroism, huh?" 

"I don't know if I'd say I was _above_ them," Roy mumbled. "But you can't take fantasy onto the battlefield and expect it to substitute for a plan. War isn't that simple or that clean."

"Well said," Ephraim murmured, a bit dourly. "I'd expect about as much from someone that introduces themselves as a General."

...Roy felt vaguely... slighted, by that remark. It wasn't that Ephraim was making fun of him... was it? 

"But you do have to hold on to some kind of ideal, right?" Alm added, and Ephraim nodded. "Otherwise, it's just... bloodshed for its own sake."

"You sound like my sister." Ephraim smirked. "I guess that's the sort of quality that makes people like you good rulers." One of the servants passed by them, carrying an ornate jug of wine; Ephraim offered his glass, and Roy glanced in Alm's direction only to find Alm glancing back. The emperor shrugged, and offered his too. So, Roy figured he ought to follow suit. 

Alm raised his glass demurely once they'd all been served. "To lessons learned the hard way," he said quietly. Ephraim huffed as he raised his too. It was a good toast, Roy thought, so he joined them.

 

"Okay," Ephraim huffed, "alright, I've got one. You know what bothers me?" 

Alm leaned in expectantly, and Roy raised his eyebrows, biting back an expectant chuckle, raising his wine glass. He wasn't sure how long they had been playing this 'game', but it was at least one full round of drinks, and probably more at this point. The room had grown rather loud and hazy around them, as other tables were surely lulled by good drink the same way they had been; it was a raucous, ecstatic atmosphere that Roy admitted he hadn't really ever felt before. Everything made him want to laugh.

"Go on," taunted Alm. His face was red. All of their faces were probably red. Roy did not drink a whole lot of alcohol, but he'd drank enough to recognize that it was getting to him.

Ephraim leaned back, gesturing wide with the smuggest expression Roy had ever seen on royalty. "Pegasus knight uniforms." 

"Whaaat?" Alm knitted his brow, but Roy spurted across his plate and had to hastily lean forward; Ephraim began laughing triumphantly, gesturing in his direction. "You're serious? Both of you?" 

"Okay," Roy groaned, "okay, this is something that has bothered me for years, but - listen." Ephraim was laughing harder, clapping his hands. "In our world," he explained, looking Alm dead in the face, "most of the pegasus - _hic_ \- pegasus knights come from Ilia. It's a region to the north that's covered in ice. We fought there for a while, it's deadly cold and a horrible blizzard can strike at a moment's notice. And the pegasus knights wear..." 

"Nothing!" Ephraim cried. "Little blouses and heeled boots and skirts and shoulder pads! _Nothing!_ It's the same in your world, right?" Roy nodded emphatically, giggling. "It's like they're meant more to be mascots than they are to be knights!"

"Hmm." Alm seemed genuinely troubled, staring into his glass and swirling what was left of his wine thoughtfully. "That's... I hadn't really thought about it, but you're right. They really are underarmored, aren't they?" 

"So who put them in that armor?" Roy asked, faux-tensely. Ephraim gestured at him, as though Roy had uttered some incredible proof of reality. "Who designed it?" he pressed. "Whose idea was this?" 

"They'll tell you it has to do with mobility," Ephraim said, "but I don't undertand why that matters. You're basically just on a horse, right? We put cavalry in armor all the time. Some of the greatest fighters in Magvel wore full plate on horseback."

"Yes, that's the same in my world," Alm said slowly, and Roy nodded in agreement. "But - is it easier to fall from a pegasus in full armor, maybe?"

"Okay," Roy countered, "so not full plate then, but - SOMETHING, anything, maybe a coat?! Knee pads, bucklers, a chain shirt?!"

"Nothing," Ephraim repeated. "Nothing. The air is colder the higher into the sky you go, but nothing. The pegasus knights live in an area of freezing temperatures and snowstorms, but nothing. I don't understand it. It defies belief."

"I'm not sure that it gets quite that cold in Valentia," Alm murmured, tenting his hands and staring intently into the depths of the table. "But if I'm being honest, I kinda feel like our harriers dress even worse." 

Ephraim shook his head wildly. " _Worse!?_ "

"Yeah," Alm sighed, looking away now, "so some of our falcoknights became so advanced that they sought to learn magic, and... there's a term for flying casters, we call them Harriers, and - " He paused, thumping his chest as though to clear his throat - "and their uniforms seem to show... pretty much their whole front."

"Show, like, naked?" Ephraim said blankly. Alm glared at him.

"Not completely, obviously," he snapped. "But - why do mages dress like that? ALL mages? Is that the same in your world too?"

"Actually, no," Roy said slowly. "Robes and such, mostly, but not anything more revealing than that."

"Maybe your harriers are just into that," Ephraim said with a shrug. "It's the knightly types, though, the ones that - "

"Okay, but they _are_ knightly types!" Alm interrupted heatedly. "Three falcoknight sisters that made their living off of combat, and - well, Clair was a bit strange before I suppose, but she always took her nobility very seriously... I don't see any of them just wearing - well, _that_ , at all! Let alone into combat!" 

"Is there some advantage we don't know about?" Roy asked warily, looking between the other two. "Some reason that having less clothing is somehow better when riding a pegasus?" Alm shrugged helplessly, but Ephraim rubbed his chin, staring at the ceiling.

"I don't understand it," the prince muttered. "It should be just the same as a horse. Horses aren't vulnerable to arrows. Why? Because _you put them in armor._ Right?"

"So you want to put armor on pegasi, too," Alm said dryly. "Full on body armor, I take it?"

"I don't see why that would be strange," Roy murmured, folding his arms. "At the very least you could use something like chain to deflect arrows a bit more effectively. But I can't imagine the Ilians haven't tried that..."

"I think maybe where we're going wrong," Alm said, "is assuming that you can treat a pegasus and a horse the same way. I don't know if that's really true."

"I don't see why it wouldn't be," Ephraim countered. "They're just big horses with wings. They don't even use them to fly, you know, they just walk on the air directly. You should be able to just ride one, if you know how to ride a horse. Do either of you ride?"

"I wouldn't say I'm adept at it," Roy murmured, "but - at the very least I know the basics. It'd be interesting to test."

"How would you even?" Alm said warily. "You can't just steal one of the Order's pegas- suses - and take it for a ride." 

Ephraim raised his eyebrows at Alm. Alm stared at him dumbfounded.

"You can't," Alm repeated.

"Why not?" Ephraim taunted. "I fight frequently on horseback, I'm trained in handling mounts. It can't be THAT different from riding a horse."

"They're clearly descendants from some common ancestor," Roy agreed, "if nothing else - I know that pegasi can be kind of temperamental, but so can horses at times."

"This place has a stable, doesn't it?" Ephraim continued; Roy nodded. "So, find a pegasus, give it a couple carrots or something as some payment up front, and then we'll see if it's willing to let one of us get on for a little bit and we'll put it right back when we're done either way."

"And what will we learn from that exactly?" Alm demanded, but Ephraim had already pushed himself up - he looked around swiftly, but most of the attention in the hall was on Corrin's table, where her brothers were presently having a heated argument about something beyond Roy's awareness. It was a good chance to leave if they were going to, so he got up as well. 

"Why can't we just do something for fun now and again?" Ephraim countered. Alm didn't seem to know what to say to that. He stared helplessly at Ephraim, and then at Roy, but Roy just shrugged. 

"Look at it this way," Roy said, "if it turns out you can put armored knights on pegasi after all, won't that just make our pegasus knights that much safer?"

"W-well, yes," Alm stammered, "but - "

"Then come on," Ephraim interrupted, "let's go! People are going to look at us strange." He nodded to Roy, and the two of them hurriedly exited the hall; Roy paused for just a moment to confirm Alm was coming along behind them, and then he led the two of them to the stable. 

 

"I still don't feel like this is a good idea," Alm was protesting, when they arrived. Ephraim and Roy kept chuckling to each other. This felt so - so stupid and adolescent, but Ephraim somehow made it so exciting. He was probably going to go get himself in trouble regardless of anything else, so best thing Roy could do was keep him from getting hurt or anything, right? 

Pegasi were kept towards the back of the stable, with considerably larger pens. One of them trotted forward curiously as the boys entered, with Ephraim shushing them comically loudly; the creature tossed its head and stepped back as Ephraim approached, but Ephraim stopped, hands raised defensively. 

"I come in peace," he said emphatically. It tossed its head again, snorting and stepping forward again, apparently placated for the moment. 

"What was that?" Roy giggled. "Was that - like a laugh?"

"There have to be treats around, right?" Ephraim said; Roy found a cabinet near and rifled through it, finding a few carrots on a shelf and bringing them to Ephraim. Ephraim held forward his offering, and the pegasus dragged its hoof expectantly as he stepped closer, nibbling on the end of one as soon as it was in range. "Ahaa." Ephraim grinned. "We're friends, right? Would you allow me to test-fly you?" 

They opened its gate - the pegasus trotted out very business-like, as though it weren't late at night and none of them had any business interacting with a pegasus. Even through his chortling Roy had to admit, it felt more like they were being playfully indulged than actually respected. He couldn't help but feel a sort of awed respect for it, and Ephraim seemed to feel much the same, gingerly leading it outside while feeding it the remaining carrots, not in any kind of deceptive way - but rather honoring an implied promise. Alm wrung his hands behind them as they walked; Ephraim, however, started describing the gist of why they were doing this, laying out the terms of their transaction, carrots for test-flight. 

When they got outside, Ephraim gently fitted it with a saddle, and mounted gracefully - aside from nearly tipping over the other side, and needing to be hastily caught and straightened by Alm. 

"You're too drunk for this," Alm said critically, folding his arms as Ephraim stroked the pegasus' mane. "You were able to ride one, let's go."

"Now, Alm," Ephraim sighed, "there's no point to riding a pegasus if I can't even get off the ground." He leaned in to the creature's neck a bit. "You'll take me for a little ride, won't you? Just a short one. I'd just like to see what it's like, is all." 

"Do you think it can understand you?" Roy asked curiously.

Ephraim shrugged. "Makes me feel better pretending, if nothing else." He sheepishly spurred the pegasus forward - it broke into a short trot, but then jumped upwards twice, and in the time it took Roy to blink Ephraim was a couple full meters off the ground, the pegasus cantering happily through the air back and forth, and Ephraim laughing atop it, holding tight to its mane at first but then gesturing triumphantly atop it once he'd grown comfortable. 

"See, look," Ephraim laughed, somehow guiding it to stop; it flared its wings and stood imperiously above them, as Alm watched slackjawed and Roy clapped and laughed. "I'm a pegasus knight initiate now," Ephraim declared. "It's not so different! I knew it wouldn't be!"

"You need a lance to be a pegasus knight," Alm said pointedly. 

"Oh, I bet there's a practice one in here," Roy gasped - sure enough, someone had left a wooden practice lance leaned against the inner doorframe, so Roy brought that out and held it up for Ephraim to take. He spurred the pegasus on, and now began doing thrusts at the end of each dash; his mount, now aware that this was practice, began to move more sharply for emphasis, leaning and lunging into each of Ephraim's attacks. He looked terribly graceful up there; Roy imagined even on horseback he would scarcely be a match for Ephraim's agility, and Ephraim wasn't even using reins. 

As his confidence grew Ephraim began to flourish between attacks, deftly twirling the lance between his hands as the pegasus turned in midair. Even from the ground you could hear the rhythmic _whoosh_ ing as it cut through air in swift circles; were that a metal lance, it would be singing. Roy and Alm looked on in awe. At least, until one of Ephraim's flourishes smacked the pegasus in the side of its face. 

It squealed and bucked midair - Ephraim had nothing really to steady himself or retain balance, so he just tumbled backwards off of it and landed very unceremoniously on the ground beneath with a loud, sickening _crunch_ , followed by a pathetic "Owwww..." Roy and Alm both gasped and lunged towards him, but as Roy glanced up he saw the pegasus dart over a battlement and out of sight. 

"Are you alright?!" Alm was shouting, but Ephraim was already pushing himself up; the sound they'd heard apparently was the shattering lance, and not of any bones. He held aloft the splintered lance's tip with a comically dejected expression, before turning and pouting at Roy. 

"I probably looked like an idiot up there," he huffed. 

"Actually, up until the moment you _became_ an idiot," Alm countered, "you looked quite graceful."

"You almost sound mad about it," Ephraim grumped, folding his arms. 

"I'm upset that you just about hurt yourself and the pegasus!" Alm folded his arms right back. Roy looked between the two of them, a bit disoriented. "And you!" Alm shouted, glaring at Roy, "you just - enabled him!"

"You didn't protest very hard," Roy said lowly.

"He kind of did," chuckled Ephraim. "He was very animated about it." 

"And now you've thwacked a pegasus on the face," Alm snapped. "So now you have to find it and apologize."

"Wait, find it?" Ephraim said blankly, but Roy gasped as he whirled around; it was no use, of course, the pegasus was long since out of sight - but if that belonged to one of the Heroes, and they'd let it free and lost it... Ephraim, seemingly reaching the same understanding, swore under his breath. "Roy, did you see where it went? And - can one of you help me up?" 

"Uh oh." The irritation vanished from Alm's voice immediately. He carefully knelt beside Ephraim and wrapped Ephraim's arm around his shoulders; the prince didn't seem to be injured, so much as off-balance. After a fall like that, Roy supposed it shouldn't surprise him. "Are you sure you're alright?" Alm murmured. 

"Really dizzy," Ephraim grumped. "How much did we drink, exactly? I'm beginning to feel that Eirika would be quite ashamed with my behavior this evening."

"Only just now?" Alm said blankly. "Well, fortunately for you, she isn't here. I'm just glad you're alright, after falling off of a pegasus in mid-air."

"I've fallen off of things before..." 

"Ahem." Roy smirked at the two of them, as they looked over at him innocently. "I think I know where the pegasus went, but we'll have to get up on the roof. Are you good to walk, Ephraim?"

"Let me off and we'll see," Ephraim murmured; Alm shifted away, and Ephraim stood straight, closing his eyes and breathing for a few moments. "I think I'm okay now," he sighed, refocusing on the both of them. "Thanks for the help, Alm." 

"I'm glad I was here to help you up," Alm replied, shaking his head with a withering chuckle. "And I'm glad Roy was here to spot where it went. Let's bring it back down here and get back to dinner before we get into any more trouble." 

 

Roy led them to a passage that opened up to a section of shingled castle roof, surrounded with stone walkways and high battlements. The pegasus was standing alongside one with its wings tightly folded, and watched them with anxious steps as they filed out onto the walkway, but Roy's eyes were not on the creature. Someone else was here, too, idly stroking the pegasus' mane and watching them with a much sharper gaze than the pegasus. A nighttime breeze brushed across the roof, chilling Roy and raising bumps on his skin, but the woman on the wall did not flinch. 

"Fancy seeing you up here," said Lyn, terribly dryly. Roy had never heard her angry before, but this seemed a good bet for what that sounded like. 

"I-Is this your pegasus?" Alm gasped. "I - I'm so very sorry miss, there was -- "

"I'm well aware of what happened," Lyn snapped. "It's a good thing that I was here, too, because if Huey hadn't seen me who knows where he would've flown off to. But no, he's not my pegasus. He is my wife's mount."

"Lyn," Roy said weakly. "Ah. This is... very embarrassing..."

"I'll say," Lyn huffed. "Well?" 

Roy opened his mouth, but Ephraim shoved past him - with an apologetic glance back that implied that he hadn't meant to be so rough - and raised his hand ahead of them, drawing Lyn's attention. "I'm the fool that rode him," Ephraim said firmly. "So allow me to apologize for doing that. It is safe to say I overestimated myself by a significant measure. Every step of this was my foolhardy suggestion, and so I bear the burden of how this reflects on me, my sister and -- "

"Okay, okay, that's enough," Lyn protested, waving a hand over her nose. "I can smell the wine on your breath all the way from here. No wonder. Just how much have you three all had to drink?"

"Um." Roy laughed sheepishly. Lyn dropped lithely from the wall to stride towards them, folding her arms. "I... lost count." 

"More than two," Alm said slowly, backing away a step. Ephraim stood his ground.

"I suppose I should be impressed Huey allowed you to ride him at all," Lyn sighed, sizing Ephraim up. "But you seem like a good enough kid."

"I'm not a kid," Ephraim huffed. "I am the Prince of - "

"I imagine your sister will probably thank you for saving your introduction for later," Lyn interrupted coolly. Ephraim did not finish. "Well, I'm not the one you need to apologize to." She gestured behind her; Ephraim shifted aside, and the pegasus - Huey - focused on him, wary. Ephraim bowed. 

"I apologize for hitting you in the face with a practice lance," he said. Lyn sighed heavily, buring her face in her hands. "A-and, er. For taking you out of your pen and... all of that nonsense, too."

There was a tense pause after that. Lyn parted her fingers to peer out at the pegasus, and Huey tossed his head indignantly, clamping his front hooves. 

"Well, I ought not to expect forgiveness," Ephraim sighed. "I won't bother you again then, sir." 

"Were you going to before?" Roy said warily. 

"He's nervous because you can't stand up straight," Lyn muttered. "Go find somewhere to sit for a while, and drink plenty of water."

"May I ask a favor?" Ephraim added, a little sheepishly. Lyn raised her eyebrows. "Don't... tell Eirika about this?" 

"No?" Lyn smirked. "Alright, since you gave such a sincere apology, maybe I'll keep this incident to myself. Just don't go embarrassing yourself in front of her on your own time, alright?" She waved him back, and craned her head up to address Alm, as well. "You go rest, alright? Don't forget to drink plenty of water!" 

Roy turned to leave, but... 

"Roy," Lyn said seriously, "you stay here for a moment." 

Ephraim winced. "Good luck," he mouthed, as he and Alm stepped back inside. Roy didn't really know what to expect; he turned back to Lyn with folded arms and a heavy sigh. 

"What?" he said impatiently. Lyn's eyebrows arched. 

"What yourself?" she retorted. "I wouldn't have taken Eliwood's son to be the kind of boy that would talk back to his elders." 

"I wasn't talking back, you hadn't even started talking yet," Roy snapped. "And besides, are you even older than me?" 

"That doesn't matter," Lyn interrupted. "You're as good as my nephew, and so seeing as your mother and father aren't here, it falls on me to say the sorts of things a parent would say in this situation, right?"

Roy bristled, but, he supposed she was right. Bunching his shoulders up tighter, he looked down and closed his eyes. "Fine, then, lecture me if you must." 

"Roy, I'm not going to lecture you," she laughed. "I doubt that's what your father would do. It's not as though we didn't ever have bumbling drunken escapades all our own." She sighed and grew quiet, hanging her head for a moment. "But... part of what made that fun was that we knew Eliwood was going to be looking out for us, you know? He doesn't exactly hold alcohol well - worst of the three of us really - but he always made a point of looking after everybody."

Roy frowned. He hadn't thought about what his father would think of all of this, but there was nothing harder for him to bear than his disappointment. What would he say to his father, were he here? He took a deep breath, heart sinking with humility and remorse. "I'm... sorry I let Ephraim go and make a fool of himself. You're right, I should have been the better influence."

"That's not what I was trying to say," Lyn said, apologetically. "I mean, you should have, but - you can't expect to always be right all the time or anything. I just mean..." She shook her head sadly. "I think about you getting up to the sorts of things we did, but without him around to watch over you, and... as his friend, it..." She trailed off. "Just, try not to get carried away like this in the future. Okay?"

Roy didn't really know what to say to that. So instead of responding he drew himself up and put on a critical expression. "That was a lecture," he said.

"It was not!" Lyn protested, turning red. Huey started behind her. "I was just - and then - Look, I didn't lecture you, and that's the end of it." 

"If you say so." Roy smirked a little. "Well - should I take Huey back to his pen, then?" 

"No, I'll take him," Lyn assured him, with a sigh. "I could go for a little flight myself, if he's up for it after all of this excitement. But either way I'll make sure he's taken care of. You just go catch up with your friends, okay?" Roy blinked at her, a little surprised, and she shooed him off. "Go on!" 

So... he did, he turned around and walked back into the stair tower, scratching his head, pondering why it was she'd called them her friends when he'd barely just met them, and why he didn't really feel like she was wrong, even though Roy had not had friends in as long as he could really remember. 

And Lyn, on the battlements, sighed with great relief and turned to Huey in a deadpan, and Huey glanced back with that comically long face of his that Florina always said looked like he was judging you. "What?" she grumped. "Don't look at me like that. Just because I indulged myself a little this evening doesn't mean I can't be looking out for my best friend's kid." 

Huey just tossed his head and turned away, and Lyn sighed wearily, reaching out to stroke his mane again. "Ever the purest of us, Huey," she murmured, giving way to a faint smile. "Some day I'll get dirt on you. Just you wait."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If this chapter seems a little confusing, it's because it's in reference to a part of the story that's now optional. If it feels like something's missing, then you're looking for paralogue 1.1. Sorry! ^^"

Corrin had been given a few days' leave following the arrival of her next round of siblings, a reprieve for which she was begrudgingly grateful. On the one hand, she had been growing used to the rhythm of fight/fuck/sleep, so being pulled out of it was kind of a shock, and she blamed the disruption for her throbbing, persistent headache and a sense of lightheadedness that made her sensitive to light and loud noises. If she'd known the word for it, she might have even called it withdrawal. But she didn't. 

But her family had seen this before. To their credit, Hinoka and Camilla didn't try to ask after her condition the night of the banquet; Hinoka seemed tense, and Camilla was a bit more watchful and hesitant than usual, but otherwise they just focused on enjoying themselves and their siblings' company. But the day after the banquet, Corrin knew they'd want to spend more time with her - this time in a more private setting - and she knew the subject of her health would come up. She had to be prepared, as best she could be. And she knew what that meant.

She had planned on seeing Roy the night of the banquet even before she'd known who had been summoned. But her plans had changed. Someone had arrived that Corrin had not expected. Someone that Corrin would not expect others to describe as a "hero". But to her... well... not all heroes charge into battle bearing legendary swords. Some are just kind people that know how to keep you from driving yourself insane.

"Lady Corrin," came her gentle whisper, and that was how Corrin was awakened from her pitch-black sleep. She blinked, initially on alert, but the sweet round face that met her was familiar, and - perfect. So perfect she thought at first she might be dreaming. Felicia smiled and tilted her head, her ponytail waving playfully behind her. "Rise and shine," she breathed. 

"Felicia," Corrin whispered in awe. "You... really are here."

"Yes, I am!" Felicia blushed and beamed. "Several weeks late, but better late than never, I say."

Corrin shifted partially upright; the air was cold and the room was fairly dark, illuminated only by a candle sitting beside the bed and a few others that Corrin assumed were in the bathroom. She was awake enough now to take Felicia in fully, and to realize that... aside from her well-brushed ponytail and fluffy maid's headband... she was completely unclothed. By reflex she almost asked if she was cold, but of course, Felicia wouldn't be. "What time is it?" she asked instead, covering a yawn behind her elbow.

"Very early," Felicia replied. "The sun isn't up yet. I have a lot of catching up to do, and your first appointment comes around breakfast time. That said, if you need more sleep..."

"No, no," Corrin sighed blissfully, leaning in and kissing Felicia's cheek. "I'm awake now. I'd only be pretending so you could whisper me awake again." 

"You're - so sweet," Felicia laughed. Ahh, Corrin had missed her adorable bashful giggling. She couldn't help but smile, and Felicia seemed so delighted just to see her smiling that she grinned back. "Well, first things first," she announced. "I've drawn a bath for you. It's very warm, so you'll only have to brave the cold for a moment." 

Felicia guided her up, and they padded into the adjacent bath together. Most of the 'royal' suites had a bath like this, large enough probably for all her sisters and more room besides, and thinking about it she wasn't even sure how the water had gotten here but she'd seen enough strange marvels in Askr not to question it anymore. Corrin got in first, settling down with her shoulders under the surface, sighing blissfully as she was encompassed by its comforting heat. Then she turned to Felicia, waiting, but Felicia had ducked back into the bedroom for the moment; when she returned, she was delicately carrying Corrin's dragonstone, and she set it beside the bath before climbing in next to Corrin. 

"Have you been doing your breathing?" Felicia asked gently as she shifted behind Corrin. Corrin stiffened. "That's alright. It's perfectly okay if you haven't been. But we should start again today, right?" 

"Yeah," Corrin mumbled. "Sorry."

Felicia was gathering her hair, guiding it over one shoulder. "Don't apologize," she said kindly. "I can't know what it's like for you, but I'll do everything I can to help. That's why I'm here." 

Corrin closed her eyes after that, while Felicia washed her hair, and then scrubbed down the rest of her. It made her... sleepy. The room was warm and Felicia's presence was comforting. It was nice to be attended to. On days when Corrin felt weak and tired and sick as a girl, Felicia and her sister would care for her, and it felt like they were helping her stand tall again. It had been a long, long time since she'd felt that way, but... the warmth she was feeling now reminded her of it. 

After a while, Felicia gave Corrin her dragonstone and laid her back down in the water until just her head was above it, then drifted back into the bedroom; Corrin obediently lay in the bath and focused on her breathing, slow and even and peaceful. It had been Rhajat's idea originally - a form of meditiation, the idea being to connect with the dragon in her heart and to try to speak peace to it, in hopes that its power would be less overwhelming for her to bear. Corrin had always been a little skeptical of whether or not it would work, but Felicia had been an expert at weaving it into their routine, ensuring that Corrin had her peace and quiet at least once per day, and... to her credit, it was always very relaxing if nothing else. 

Felicia was dressed and mostly dry when she came back. She helped Corrin into her clothes and then her armor, as was always the custom - Nohrian fashion _was_ armor, and Corrin was not yet used to going around in public in those flowy open-air Hoshidan robes - then she brushed out Corrin's drying hair, tying it back in a complicated twist Corrin herself had never learned. 

Corrin had two early appointments that morning - though one was not really an 'appointment' so much as just checking in on Roy, so she sent Felicia on to the next ahead of her. She ought to apologize for standing Roy up the night before; they had arranged to meet, and Corrin had meant to find him and cancel earlier, but he'd vanished from the hall at some point and Corrin had been a bit busy taking care of her inebriated elder siblings, and then... Felicia had kept her thoroughly... occupied... the rest of the night. Even as she approached his door she was still figuring out just what to say - she knew for sure she liked their arrangement and didn't want to end it just because Felicia had come along, but... how did she explain that part...? 

It took Roy a little while to open his door, and when he did, Corrin gasped. His face was pale and his hair messy; he himself looked haggard, wearing only his casual clothes, thrown on haphazardly as though just when Corrin had arrived. "Are you alright?!" she breathed, bewildered. "What happened to you?" 

"Ah. Yes." Roy coughed, straightening himself up, blushing a bit. "I, erm... I got into some trouble with some of the other newcomers, and..." He waved his hand, shaking his head. "I'm fine. I may have just had a bit too much to drink, is all." 

"Trouble?" Corrin's concern did not fade. "You look miserable. Do you need to see a cleric?"

"I doubt it's that serious," he said grumpily. "Either way, I'm sorry I missed our meeting last night. I slept through it. I hope you're feeling alright this morning." 

"I-" Huh? "I-I'm fine," she stammered, bewildered. "I'm - I'm not the one we're worrying about right now! Don't change the subject!" 

"You don't need to harass me about it," Roy murmured, and Corrin recoiled. "I'll get someone to look at it if it doesn't go away, okay? I just want you to know, I didn't stand you up on purpose, and I apologize. We were doing this for your health and all, and... I didn't mean to abandon you." 

...Oh. Right. Corrin stared at him for a moment as her train of thought caught up. "Y-Yes, right," she gulped. "I'm sorry. I just - was worried about you. I didn't mean to make an ordeal out of it." 

"That's alright," Roy sighed, closing his eyes for a moment to breathe. "So, anyway, uh... I'll... see you tonight?"

"Sure! Yeah." Corrin nodded eagerly, though more because the conversation had reached a viable ending point than anything else. He nodded in agreement, smiling with relief himself, before shutting the door again. 

Corrin stared at it blankly for a few moments afterward. What in the hell just happened? 

 

On her walk to her next appointment she tried her best to put the awkward encounter out of her mind. Roy had not really seemed all there, but really, Corrin was the one that had embarrassed herself most of all; she hadn't actually given her apology, nor had she made any mention of Felicia. But then, maybe that second part was for the better. Even if he was okay with Corrin having multiple partners, she didn't want him to feel like he was competing with Felicia, or that he was inferior to her somehow - Felicia maybe was better at comforting her overall, but that was only natural for someone that knew her so well, right? Roy was valuable because he was different. He was his own experience. Even though it felt a little strange compared to what she was used to, she really enjoyed being with him, so... she didn't want to risk losing that. 

Her next appointment was no place for such thinking, though, so she stifled the train of thought as best she could and focused instead on how excited she was for what came next. The Order of Heroes had started holding strategy meetings in the early mornings that were open for any interested Heroes to attend; Leo always did, being Nohr's premier royal tactician, but today Corrin was going to surprise him by attending as well. Leo's passion for military history and strategy were second only to the study of magic, and of Leo's two talents Corrin had grown much faster as a tactician than a mage. Strategy exercises and history lessons made up the majority of their bonding time growing up, before the transformation had stolen away Corrin's ability to focus. 

But, Felicia had encouraged her not to let the dragon hold her back, so Corrin thought that - since she was feeling well that morning, thanks primarily to Felicia's presence - maybe she would give this a try. Leo was understandably surprised and delighted to see her, and filled her in on what they had discussed in prior meetings before Kiran called them to order. She had trouble paying full attention the entire time, but it still served as an excellent primer on how the Order itself operated. 

Kiran herself, though - Leo had told her that Kiran was the Order's "first tactician", meaning her plans and orders were final and took precedent over all others, so Corrin had somewhat expected her to have a bit more of a commanding presence. But she didn't. She was kind of a strange-looking girl, tall but with a skittish nature that seemed more interested in hiding behind the words and shadows of others than speaking for herself. She had dark, bagged eyes and a low strained voice, but her smile was sweet and her words held conviction. She was a difficult one to read, and Corrin found herself staring and thinking about how much she reminded her of Rhajat a few more times than she'd like to admit. 

She and Leo walked together to Camilla's chambers next. The Nohrian royals shared a corridor, and across a courtyard from them were the Hoshidan royals, with Corrin's located down a separate, but adjoining hall. The seven of them had all agreed to a tea party hosted by Camilla, as a further chance to socialize. As they walked, Leo slowed, and Corrin blinked and glanced at him but he didn't stop. "You seem tense," he said cautiously, instead. 

Corrin sighed. "Is it that obvious?"

"You often seem tense," Leo pointed out. "Most times, it's just how you are, but I thought I would ask to be sure. What's on your mind?"

"I just know they're going to ask about how I'm feeling," Corrin murmured; they continued walking forward, but Corrin's gaze was cast through the floor. "I'm trying to figure out what I'll say." 

"How are you feeling?" Leo asked.

"Alright, all things considered." Corrin shrugged. "Felicia is here now, and that helps a lot."

"You've held up well before now," he said cautiously. Corrin glanced at him, eyes narrowed. "Is that what you're trying to figure out how to talk about?"

It took Corrin a moment to trace this statement to its actual meaning. He probably suspected that she was seeing someone, could tell that she wanted to cover it up, and was offering to help. _You're too damn sharp for your own good, Leo._ Not to say she didn't appreciate his perception in this case, or in general. "Yes," she said slowly. 

"I don't think Camilla will care," Leo said. "If you keep her off my back about... my thing... then I'll help her not pry too much into yours. Does that seem fair?"

"You should tell Camilla," Corrin said lowly.

Leo's expression hardened. "When I'm good and ready, yes." 

Well, that was fair, she supposed. "I think if we just say we don't want to talk about it," she mused, "Hinoka will probably back us up. Just as long as we're on the same page." 

Leo nodded, and he smiled faintly. "You're among family," he said softly. "Try to relax, alright? I've never been good at it either, but..." 

Corrin nodded as he trailed off, managing a brief, hollow smile of her own. "Thanks." 

But it turns out their fears were mostly for naught. Camilla approached the subject very delicately at the start of their luncheon, and Corrin - prepared as she had been - said simply that she'd been managing and was relieved that everyone was here now, and that had been enough to please her. The rest of that afternoon was peaceful and comfortable, as Corrin's four sisters talked endlessly about their experiences in Askr and elsewhere, while Leo and Takumi played chess at their own little table that had been pushed up close to the girls'. 

Corrin for her part just listened and watched, a hand on the pouch where her dragonstone was kept, breathing. She felt at peace, but... in a somehow deeper way than normal. She felt comfortable. She felt... secure... confident... something greater than those things. She felt... bold...? Was her heart racing, or just beating very hard? Why couldn't she tell the difference? 

But whatever it was... it didn't really bother her. In fact, she felt great. Her headache faded, and she felt present and... almost... _almost_ normal. Something was off, but whatever it was, it felt entirely unimportant. 

 

"It seemed like you had fun today," Felicia observed, as they were walking back to Corrin's chambers near the evening. Corrin nodded slowly. 

"I felt better than usual," she said, smiling. 'Than usual' was a bit of a misleading term. Generally the day after a visit from Roy, she'd have a few hours of clarity of mind, before lapsing back into her headaches and insomnia that would intensify until she saw him again. This was about the same, but extended. She ought to have gotten tired near the end of their meeting, and that would be the warning sign that her headaches would be back by nightfall. It was usually a very predictable rhythm. But only just now did she feel even a little fatigued...

"I'm delighted to have helped," Felicia said cheerfully. Corrin chuckled. 

"I wonder," she hummed, "was it the bath and the breathing this morning? Or perhaps... your welcome home last night?" She threw Felicia a playful leer, and Felicia giggled, turning red. 

"I think we should keep doing both things," she replied airily. "We don't want to risk any complications, right?" 

Corrin sighed elatedly. She felt like she was flying. Why? It didn't matter, she was clearly just happy to have Felicia back, right? She snatched Felicia's hand, gently threading her fingers into Felicia's, narrowing her eyes at the maid. 

"I think I will take you up on that," she purred.


	3. Chapter 3

Lucina had been upset at first that Severa had not come to say hello to her during the summoning banquet, forcing the two of them to resort to communication through Order of Heroes couriers, but as far as backgrounds for a reunion go she supposed Severa had made up for it nicely - Severa herself had chosen the place and time to meet: near one of the lower halls of the castle, which faced into the upper class district of town, as the sun was just beginning to set over the walls encircling the capitol. Lucina leaned against one of the stone pillars just inside the wall, admiring the streaks of pink and orange in the sky, until she heard approaching footsteps. 

When she first saw Severa, there was a sort of breathless pause, a quiet moment of relief, as Severa met her gaze and smiled that little subconscious smile that always came to her lips when she was unexpectedly happy. But that grew wildly out of control within moments. She reached out for Severa, maybe expecting at first that Severa would take her hand or maybe to just beckon the girl over, but what wound up happening is that she snatched Severa by the collar of her coat and pulled her into a tight embrace, head resting on Severa's shoulder. To her credit... Severa embraced her back. 

"It's kind of out of character for me to say this," Severa mumbled, "but I'm really glad to see you." 

"I missed you so much," Lucina whispered, her voice hoarse as she restrained her tears. "I missed you..."

"I'm sorry I didn't say goodbye, ma'am." Severa took a deep breath. "I, um... I regretted that pretty much every day since I left."

Surprised, Lucina pushed Severa back - the girl jumped, startled, before quickly hiding her dampened eyes. "What are you talking about?" she gasped. "Left? Severa, you - you vanished. I thought... we all thought..."

"Yeah." Severa laughed once, awkwardly. "Yeah, I was afraid of that. I just... I wasn't given a lot of time to make the decision, and... it wasn't the kind of thing where you can send a letter home to let them know what's going on." 

"Severa," Lucina whispered, her heart sinking. "You... abandoned us?"

But Severa shook her head so fiercely her tails whipped about, and she folded her arms, glaring, now too defiant to care that Lucina could see that she'd teared up. "I wouldn't ever," she snapped. "What kind of flimsy retainer do you think I am, huh!? I made a decision based on what I thought you'd say if you were there. I figured, if you knew what I'd been told, you'd encourage me to go, so I went. Alright? I didn't abandon anybody and I don't ever intend to start." 

Lucina let out a long, heavy breath, smiling faintly as Severa's voice rose. When the girl's rant ended her cheeks turned a little pink, but Lucina took that chance to lean in and delicately kiss her - giggling when Severa squeaked and flailed back. "N-Not so openly like that," she protested. "People are gonna see!"

"Mother and father aren't here," Lucina sighed, still smiling. "No one from Ylisse is here. The people of Askr surely don't mind. I doubt they have any idea who we are. It's not their business if I choose to kiss my retainer."

"Well, it's not," Severa agreed reluctantly, rubbing the back of her neck. "Honestly, this is just kind of a weird situation. I guess you're here as... an ambassador, right? Sort of?" She sighed, too, shaking her head again. "Whatever. I GUESS if you want to be affectionate, I can't stop you." 

"Severa," Lucina lamented, "you like when I kiss you, right...?"

"W-Well." Severa blushed. "Wait, what kind of question is _that?!_ Of course I - " But she stopped herself mid-rage again and folded her arms, turning away and pouting, and Lucina couldn't help but burst into a fit of giggles. "I see how it is," Severa growled. "We haven't even been together again for a full minute and you're already making fun of how I can't tell when you're being sincere or not." 

"You always treat me like I'm being sincere," Lucina hummed, still chuckling. 

"Well, you usually are," Severa mumbled. 

"It's because you're a bad influence on me, you know." She tugged on Severa's arm and looped her own through Severa's, walking them out towards the town together. Severa drew herself up quickly. "But I wouldn't trade you, or your bad influence, for anything." 

"In our case," Severa said quietly, "maybe we shouldn't say that anymore." Lucina frowned, sobered. "Anyway, your grace, I meant to explain to you why I left. It's a bit of a long story, but I'm sure you'll want to hear all of it."

"Yes, I will," Lucina agreed. 

"Alright." Severa took a deep breath. "Alright. Um... Well... It basically comes down to this..." 

 

The very next thing Severa said, as wild as it sounded, Lucina actually completely believed. She didn't really understand all of it, but Severa spoke so seriously that she felt she didn't really need to understand it, and what she _did_ understand didn't sound too unreasonable given that they were already paradox children from a future timeline created by the Divine Dragon Naga to avert a future that shouldn't have ever existed. Timeline hopping, or even world hopping, wasn't really a foreign concept to them.

Once it was clear that Lucina accepted this premise, though, Severa shifted the focus of her narrative entirely - going on and on about her "new, other, secondary liege"... a princess from a place called Nohr, who went by the name Camilla. Everything about Severa's description of Nohr was fascinating. Where Ylisse was sunlit and beautiful, Nohr was dark, dreary, and barren; where the people of Ylisse were joyful and peaceful, the people of Nohr were stern, pragmatic, and bitter. Lucina had thought at first Severa must have felt so at home there, but Severa didn't speak of the place very fondly. She spoke as though she almost feared it, and Lucina wondered what made her feel that way. How much had she been through that Lucina hadn't ever seen...? 

They paused for a bit, as Severa showed them to their destination - Severa herself had actually picked out all the details of their date, which surprised Lucina exactly none; like mother like daughter, she supposed - and they were taken to their seats. Severa remarked that she was glad Lucina liked meat, and Lucina laughed. "So what is this?" she asked, looking around - a chilled evening breeze blew through the open-air seating area, the view outside obscured by ornamental bead curtains hanging from archways, while couples and small groups chattered joyfully over tables of honestly lavish-looking meat platters. Gods. Lucina's eyes stuck on each one she saw, as she tried to track the room, and by the time she realized Severa was answering her her mouth was watering. 

"Kiran actually tipped me off to it," she was saying. "Apparently she gets scraps from here now and again. Swears it's some of the best ham she's ever had."

From there, though, Lucina asked after Camilla specifically, eager to draw Severa away from the apparently dour subject of Nohr itself, and Severa's tone changed entirely. She spoke with such earnest fondness of Camilla that even she herself seemed to find it odd, pausing at some point to hastily clarify that she still considered Lucina her 'first loyalty' and that she didn't really know why she was so animated, either. Outwardly, Lucina would have liked to just smile and listen on in peace, and probably would have, if not... for the things Severa was actually saying. 

"Please repeat that?" she asked at one point, blinking dazedly as though she'd just been punched. 

"Yeah," Severa laughed. "Um. She really did threaten to chop my legs off if I left. She's... kinda special like that." Before Lucina could respond, though, Severa leaned in and added in a fierce whisper: "You know why she's like that though, right?" Lucina frowned and shook her head. "Because she's like _us_ ," Severa hissed. "But I think even worse, from what I've heard."

"Worse," Lucina repeated numbly. "I don't know what you mean." 

"I shouldn't get too into it in public," she sighed, "but, Lady Camilla... was not originally part of the family. She won't ever talk about it, so all I've ever heard is second-hand, but... apparently King Garon had many wives, and chose only to care for the strongest of his children. And he decided that he'd figure out which ones were strongest with, erm... literal blood sports." 

Lucina's eyes grew wide. "O-oh no."

"Camilla's a really nice woman," Severa said firmly. "She wants you to feel the love, you know? It's weird, and it's probably made me sound weird compared to what you're used to because, oh man, I was NOT any good at putting up with it at first. But the thing is..." Severa sighed, shaking her head and looking outside. Guilt was creeping into her face, and... even anguish, and Lucina wanted to cry out and steal those things away and break them. Severa never looked like that, Severa never looked so... so hurt... not since Cordelia had...

"The thing is," Severa sighed, "she just... can't handle losing anyone else she loves. And... I get that feeling. I really do." 

"That's horrible," Lucina whispered. Absently, without looking back, Severa nodded. "I'm so glad she had you looking after her, Severa. It's no wonder she's grown so fond of you." 

Lucina didn't mean to flatter her. But Severa was oddly silent and motionless. After a moment, color rose in her cheeks... and then she smiled, slowly and sincerely, and shook her head again. 

"I got a big enough ego already without you saying stuff like that," she sighed. Lucina couldn't help but smile - if a little bitterly. "But... you know... she's got a good family, too. Xander and Leo and Elise are all good to her. And Corrin..." Severa laughed quietly and shook her head once more. "Corrin's something to behold, Luci. She really is. Have you met her?"

Lucina had met her. She nodded slowly. "The manakete," she said slowly. "She's Camilla's... sister, then?"

"Yeah, she's Camilla's baby sister," Severa replied. "And I mean 'baby' sister. Camilla treats that girl like a daughter she doesn't ever want to grow up, and the others tell me she's always treated Corrin that way. And Corrin doesn't really like it all that much, but... whoof. I get that this isn't a comparison you're going to like, but... you remember the way we got away from Grima that first time, don't you?" 

Lucina paled, swallowing hard as her throat tightened up. "I don't like to think about it," she said stiffly. Severa smiled wistfully at her. "I almost got you killed, and it was a failure of mine I couldn't have forgiven myself for."

"You say that," Severa said softly, "but that's just me doing my job, Luci. And... well, you know. I care about you a lot. So maybe I went a little far, just to be sure you were safe, even though it might've been more than I could have handled. But Corrin? Corrin's like that for all of her siblings. _All_ of them."

"Is she?" Somehow Lucina didn't find this surprising. Corrin had a gentle appearance and a coarse but soft voice, and she spoke very kindly after combat during Lucina's brief interactions with her. But in battle, she fought with such savagery and passion... anyone that drew her ire would surely be annihilated. 

"I hadn't ever met her before the whole war with Valla happened," Severa continued, "so I'd only ever heard what Lady Camilla described to me, and of course to Camilla she's this perfect little angel. But when I met her, Corrin was this... bitter, driven, angry person that... She had such an overwhelming aura, you know? And then you see her transform on the battlefield, and, well, now you know she can back that up, too. She'd go out of her way to try to make other people feel comfortable and to rein herself in and all, but it's hard not to be terrified of somebody like that."

"You sound so excited," Lucina observed dryly.

"I mean, it's no secret I'm drawn to people like that," Severa huffed. "Even you can get that way, when... y'know... the world makes you. But it's still my job to make sure that never happens again." 

"Yeah." 

There was a short pause, as Lucina poked at the remains of her first helping, before Severa cleared her throat. Lucina looked up, expecting impatience, but Severa looked pained and guilty just like before - and just like before Lucina felt her heart lurch at the sight. "W-what's wrong?"

"I apologize for bringing up a bad memory," Severa said quietly. Her voice was uncharacteristically serious. "It was tactless of me."

"It's fine," Lucina said, though admittedly she didn't think too much about what she was forgiving. "Severa, are you okay? Do we need to step outside or anything?"

"What? No!" Severa sighed heavily, closing her eyes. "No, just... This was... I mean, this was a date, you know? Behind all of my stupid antics and whatever, I just... I know you... _We_ were really excited to be together again, and I wanted to celebrate that and catch up, and... to apologize for ever leaving you at all... and I've spent all this time rambling about Camilla and her family..."

"I'm happy to hear about it!" Lucina gasped. "I'd like to meet Lady Camilla sometime, and all of her family, and the other retainer you said works with you - Beruka, right?" Severa smiled weakly and nodded. "I guess I was thinking more about that memory than I should have, but..." She reached over the table, grasping Severa's hand in her own. "What matters is that we're here, together, right now," she said firmly. "We'll fight side by side again, except maybe when Camilla needs your help, and even then I'd like to be there with you. We'll keep each other safe. Like before."

"Yeah." Severa squeezed her hand gently, taking a deep breath. "I love you, Lucina." 

 

Now, Lucina could tell this was supposed to be a warm, happy moment, but she hadn't ever... expected Severa... to _say_ that. And as she tried to respond, her heart jumped into her throat, and she froze. 

_Are we girlfriends? Is that...?_

The question hadn't ever officially come up in Ylisse. They were lord and retainer (with benefits). It was clean and simple. At the end of their lengthy separation Lucina had just assumed that they would resume where they left off, but it seemed Severa didn't see it that way - or - or maybe she never _had_ seen it that way?! Lucina just hadn't ever really been ready to... to acknowledge it openly and officially like this, and... 

But she couldn't... say nothing... she had to say... 

"Oof." Severa was smiling, but in her eyes her heart was broken. "You weren't ready for that one, were you?" 

"S-Severa," Lucina gasped, "Severa, no, I..." 

"Don't force it." Severa looked down at her food. "Nothing worse than that. I know we're still cool, Luci, I just got ahead of myself a bit, I guess. I got a little too excited to see you again, or somethin'." 

She made to take her hand away, but Lucina tightened her grip, and Severa glanced up incredulously. "Severa, it's not that I don't love you," she whispered urgently. Like this, she could say it easily! Because she did love Severa. Definitely. "It's just - I - I never thought of us as... an official thing."

"I know I was pushing my luck." Severa's bitter smile was starting to fade. "Look, I don't want your pity or anything, okay? I said my piece and you said yours and that's it."

"B-But..." Lucina shrivelled. _But I hurt you,_ she wanted to cry. But Severa was right; she wanted a relationship, and Lucina didn't, and that was the end of that. 

"Like I said," Severa continued, "I know you're not about to..." She trailed off - with a sudden, blinding rush of panic Lucina thought _She knows about Catria!!_ \- but Severa sighed heavily and continued: "You're probably not about to turn your back on me or anything. You let me take you out tonight, we kissed a little, so... we're still at least like that, right?"

"Yeah," Lucina said numbly. Her heart was pounding so loud she couldn't think. "Nothing's changed." 

Severa hummed and nodded understanding, staring into her food again. "Yeah," she mumbled. "Nothing's changed. That's a good way to put it." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath; Lucina followed suit, trying to breathe and slow her heart. Anxiety and guilt roiled in her stomach but slowly, breath by breath, she forced it away, focusing on Severa's assurance. _Nothing had changed._

"So," Severa said airily, "that being said, there was a certain after-dinner portion I'd planned to this date, and I take it that's still on?"

Lucina nodded, and opened her eyes again to a lopsided smile from her retainer, which she did her best to return. "Yes. I'm looking forward to it."


	4. Chapter 4

"Is someone there?"

By the time the trespasser had spoken, though, Eirika had already hastily gathered herself up and stood, creeping out from behind the ivy-strangled archway she had been hiding beneath. She thought she'd recognized Kiran's voice, and offered the tatician a gentle smile, allowing herself to relax again. "Good evening, Summoner," she said kindly. Kiran smiled back, clearly quite bashful. 

"I-I don't mean to interrupt," Kiran said, wringing her hands. "If I'm intruding, then I can just..." She trailed off, looking away. Eirika briefly wrinkled her nose. Was Kiran looking to be sent away, or not? Her mannerisms and words weren't entirely foreign, but they just didn't seem to match up at times. 

"You needn't," Eirika decided. "I wouldn't mind talking with you for a little while. I've been hoping to get to know you a little better, actually."

Kiran turned back to her in a fright; against the pale moonlight Eirika thought she could see Kiran's cheeks turning darker. "R... really? You want to... get to know _me?_ "

Eirika smiled patiently. This was familiar in a strange way. Like... like Marisa. "Is that so strange? Come sit with me. There's a bench back here."

So, Kiran followed her back to the bench that Eirika had co-opted for her own purposes; she had a lantern as well that was still burning along happily, as well as a rather hefty tome that Eirika took the initiative to snap shut as soon as she was within range of it, setting it aside to make room for her guest; Kiran hesitated, so Eirika sat down and patted the empty spot beside her, and nervously Kiran sat. 

"You don't have to be afraid," Eirika said, smiling into the bangs that hung partially over her face. 

"It's not really that I'm afraid," Kiran gasped. "I just... don't think of myself as very interesting." 

"I think you're very interesting," Eirika replied easily. "But it's alright if you don't wish to talk about yourself much." 

"W-well, it's not... that..." Kiran faltered, looking momentarily troubled. "Maybe it's best if we don't, though," she murmured. "Sorry, um... I..." She fell quiet, and Eirika waited, smiling patiently. "I-I noticed you were reading something," Kiran added, though her voice faded away again near the end, as if hesitant to ask about it. Rightfully so, but... 

"Well, I meant to keep it a secret," Eirika sighed, lifting the tome into her lap again. "But would you promise not to tell anyone?"

"Of course!" Kiran gasped. "Yeah, definitely." 

"It's been something of a... hobby... of mine." Eirika cleared her throat and opened the tome again, tracking quickly to the page she had been studying before, and lifting the lantern in one hand to trace out words on the other. "Do you recognize any of this?"

"I-I don't," Kiran awkwardly laughed. "But it must be... magic? I think?"

"It is," Eirika agreed. "Dark magic." 

But to her surprise, Kiran's gasp was not one of shock, but rather of revelation. "Oh," she breathed, "did Lyon teach you?!"

 

Eirika stared at Kiran, nonplussed. "How do you know Lyon?" she asked, unintentionally deadpan. 

But Kiran's face was bright red now. She turned away and mumbled an apology that Eirika only vaguely heard, before clearing her throat and adding, "You could say I, um... studied... the histories of all the Heroes before coming here."

"Oh?" Eirika blinked, rather surprised. "You don't need to be shy about it. But if Lyon's story is part of a history you've studied, then... when exactly..." She frowned, remembering her conversation with Lyn the other night - she'd been summoned here, but met someone from her world that was much older than he had been during her lifetime... 

"I'm not sure how this all works either," Kiran agreed. "It's probably not that simple. But, yeah, I'm... I'm familiar with everyone's stories, I guess. And it's just really strange meeting you all." 

"I can imagine," Eirika said airily. "It would be like meeting Latona, perhaps, for my case... but for everyone here?" 

"I-I'd kinda like not to talk about it," Kiran said shyly. "It's... it's really weird already, being in charge, and..." 

"Oh, I'm sorry. Right." She turned her attention back to the tome. "So, we can talk about this, instead. You're right, Lyon taught me the basics. It's just something that I do, when I feel lonely, I guess." 

"When you feel lonely," Kiran repeated softly, frowning. "That's right. You and Ephraim are the only ones from Magvel so far..."

"It's not terribly lonely here," Eirika said hastily. "Especially now with Ephraim here as well. I've been enjoying the grounds, and reading... enjoying the quiet during our downtime." 

Kiran didn't seem convinced. "Maybe it's weird of me," she sighed, "but... I just want everyone to be happy here, in exchange for helping us. I know there's only so much I can do..." 

A practiced response rose in Eirika's throat - _I'm fine, but thank you for your concern_ \- but for some reason it felt horribly wrong to say, and she faltered, trying to find another way to answer. "Many of us have dealt with far worse than this," she decided instead. "I understand that we are at war, and... how horrible that is, but..." But... what? Now she was the one trailing off without finishing her sentence. What was she even saying...? 'But this war isn't as bad'? What did that even mean?

"Well... yeah." Kiran nodded her understanding regardless. "I guess that's a good point. I kind of wish that we didn't have to fight at all, but..."

"I do, too," Eirika agreed swiftly, eager to jump back in at a place where she felt comfortable - but before she could continue, a sharp, ringing crash of a giant bell sounded far above them. They both jolted upright, Kiran even jumping to her feet. "What is that?" Eirika gasped. "An alarm?"

Kiran didn't answer, frozen in place, watching the sky. Eirika stared at her bewildered, before looking up herself - just in time to watch a huge shadow cross over the moonlit clouds. Kiran may not have recognized that shape, but Eirika did, a chill piercing her heart at the sight of it. 

"Wyverns," she breathed, in horror. "Wyverns? K-Kiran, the Order doesn't have any - ?" No, that was wrong, there was one at least - Eirika remembered that now - but - 

"Eirika," Kiran said, her voice shaking, "you have to go wake up your unit, okay? I'm - I'm going to find Anna - "

"We're under attack," Eirika whispered. "Oh gods. Yes - Yes, hurry!!" 

 

Kiran all but collided with Anna as she was rounding a corner; naturally the commander had heard the alarm, as well, if not sounded it herself. She assured Kiran that the Order was already moving to awaken defenders. "They're already on top of us," Kiran gasped. "The castle guard - ?"

"There's enough of them to at least hold for a little while," Anna mused, seemingly unfazed by the situation, as usual; she led Kiran swiftly towards one of the forward battlements, hand tight on the handle of her axe. "As long as there aren't any Heroes among their forward regiment, which is very unlikely."

"Which is why you're going this direction," Kiran said slowly. Anna nodded.

"You probably shouldn't follow me." 

"I have to see," Kiran said firmly. "I have to know what we're up against." And again Anna nodded. 

"I like you," she sighed, breaking into a jog, and Kiran did her best to follow. 

They'd scarcely reached the outside wall, though, when a taunting voice arose from somewhere below them that Kiran could have picked out in her sleep, even though she'd never heard it before in her life, even if he weren't introducing himself for all the Order to hear: 

"I am the great Wyvern General Narcian!" he cried.

Kiran lunged to the precipice, almost as if to throw herself over, her eyes searching the darkness until they caught the outline of Narcian's wyvern in the darkness, leering from its perch atop a gatehouse into the entry courtyard; a cluster of guards had gathered in front of him, but they shied away from his mount, who seemed to revel in the attention just as much as Narcian himself did. The General somehow found Kiran's face in the dark, and pointed - Kiran felt her heart stop. "You there! Order of Heroes! Our great King Zephiel has come to pay his respects!" 

"Oh gods," Anna whispered beside her. Kiran's blood was running cold. Zephiel, of all people - she wasn't ready to take on someone like that, let alone if he was bringing other Heroes with him. Who else had Veronica found? Was Murdock here? If she'd somehow dragged up the entirety of the Wyvern Generals - that would be nothing short of disaster. But she had options. She had bows - she needed bows, she needed a LOT of bows - "General Narcian," Anna roared, glaring down at him now, "where is the Emblian standard you ought to be carrying?"

"Standard?!" Narcian screeched back up at her. "I'll not be reduced to some flag-bearer for some spoiled brat of a princess, even _if_ we're following her orders!" His wyvern reared, and he grinned, pointing backwards. "Besides," he announced, "the main force is there." 

They'd been so focused on Narcian himself that they'd not even looked up at the valley beneath the castle proper - but sure enough, with armor gleaming in the pale moonlight, Kiran could see a small army forming up within range of the castle... small? Was that small? At this distance she couldn't count them out, but surely they outnumbered the Order dramatically, and yet... 

"There must be several Heroes," Anna breathed. "That's bad. If Veronica's got enough to be willing to commit to an assault like this, we're in trouble." 

"I thought we'd dealt with Narcian already," whined Sharena - Kiran whirled around to see that she'd joined them, fully armored and bearing her shield and lance in her hands. "Don't talk to him," she added seriously to Kiran. "Don't waste your breath. He's just going to mock you." 

Well, yeah, Kiran knew that part at least. She shivered as memories of Binding Blade crossed her mind like a shadow. "We have to get an idea what we're up against," she snapped. "Sharena - can you and your brother fend him off?" 

"Alfonse said to meet up with you," Sharena replied. "He can probably take that guy, with all the other guards there." 

Almost as if cued, she heard Narcian's voice strike up again, and Alfonse's harsh answer, but too far to hear clearly. Kiran supposed she'd have to trust him. "Alright. Kagero? Are you here?" Sure enough, the ninja appeared crouched on a battlement behind them, head bowed in deference. She wasn't supposed to have access to ninja or spies like this - order of the King, apparently, who wanted them all working for him directly instead - but Kagero was an exception that had been made so that the Order could at least have some kind of intelligence operative available. Alfonse had had to fight quite hard for it, but Kagero's presence had already made a world of difference for the Order. Especially once Kiran had stopped fangirling over her enough to actually give her orders like a proper commanding officer. 

"Kagero," she said, stern as she could manage, "I need to know what heroes are present in the opposing army and what their numbers are. Return to me as soon as you know for further orders."

"Yes, ma'am," curtly said Kagero, and she vanished as rapidly as she'd appeared. 

"Sharena," Kiran continued, "where are the defenders gathering?"

"Hall of Heroes," Sharena replied swiftly, beckoning, and the three of them returned to the castle in step. "I told them not to wake the injured," Sharena added, a little more quietly. "And - Corrin. Is that right?" 

"Yeah," Kiran sighed. Corrin... poor Corrin. She was such a strange case. She wasn't anything like how Fates had portrayed her, and at first that had been a horrifying prospect to consider - that she might have read _tangentially_ correct histories of the 'Heroes' from their respective games, but that their real selves were very different - but it turned out so far that only Corrin displayed obvious anomalies. So, was Corrin's condition was caused by some fault in the summoning process? Or Were others sick like her, too? 

"That should still be plenty," Sharena offered. 

"The Order's gotten pretty big," Anna agreed. "I just hope we can form up before they reach the castle itself."

Kiran narrowed her eyes. "About that," she murmured, looking up at Anna. "I'm sorry, there's still a lot I'm learning about how war works here, but - don't you have siege weapons? Catapults, ballista at least, that kind of thing?"

"Well, we do," Anna said slowly. "But there are also siege tomes, which are easier to move if you have someone that can use them..."

"Ursula," Kiran hissed. "Fuck." They'd encountered her in Elibe - in the Blazing World, or something like that? Except shouldn't that ALSO be the World of Binding? - and if they hadn't found her Embla would have retained hold on that world. But being the slippery assassin she was, she'd escaped them. She could pose a serious threat if she was part of the assault force. "But even then," she added aloud, "that's just one tome, right? It wouldn't be hard to blitz their line and stop her from casting at long range. They might have others, but that's still the same problem. Their formation didn't look big enough to stop us from disrupting them. It's... almost like they want a skirmish?"

"Should we wait here for them to reach the walls, then?" Sharena said nervously, but Kiran shook her head.

"We have to answer the threat of siege tomes whether they're prepared to defend them or not," she said firmly, as they emerged into the Hall of Heroes. "We can't just let them Bolting the castle for free. But something seems off about this." Around them, the swarm of nervous chatter began to subside as the gathered defenders realized that Kiran had joined them. 

"Veronica's just a girl," Anna chided, under her breath. "She's not some advanced tactician like you are. Maybe she just doesn't realize what she's doing, or has overestimated the talents of her Heroes."

"Maybe," Kiran muttered. But she wasn't really satisfied by that. Either way, she had orders to give and a defense to coordinate. She'd have to figure it out as they went.

 

Corrin yelped and sat upright. 

There was a sharp agonizing pain in her chest, but it faded so rapidly Corrin wasn't sure if it was real or if she'd imagined it. It'd happened before, to wake from a particularly vivid dream still feeling the pain that the dream had insisted she'd been feeling. She couldn't remember what she'd been dreaming about, though. Just that it had awakened her, and now here she was, naked, faintly sweaty, and with a pounding headache that she most certainly had not fallen asleep with. 

Dully, she looked to her sides; on one was Roy, who was understandably out cold at this point, and on the other was Felicia who was stirring but still seemed mostly asleep. For a moment, she stared back and forth in dull confusion, before remembering just how they'd wound up in the same room with her. She and Roy had pushed each other to the limits of exhaustion, as they usually did, but poor Felicia had had to tap out quite a bit earlier than that. Strange that her head hurt so bad after all of that...? Maybe she'd overdone it somehow?

There wasn't any point in thinking about it as she was, though, clearly. Carefully she pulled herself out of bed, hoping not to disturb them, and went to find a robe to pull on so she could walk around the castle. 

...She thought she heard something. Some... some noise, outside. She squinted, blocking out other sensations until she could pick it out - a rhythmic tapping, something that was so faraway that she thought she was feeling it through the floor more than she was hearing it. Now that she'd picked out the sound, though, she felt it reverberate into her body, aggravating her headache, stirring up her heart and driving her into anxiety. There was no way she'd get to sleep without telling them to shut the fuck up, whatever it was they were doing or whoever 'they' even were. They were probably why she'd woke up in the first place. So she figured she'd go set them straight. Slowly, she pulled her robe on, then crept over to the bedside and carefully picked up her dragonstone. 

"Lady Corrin?" Felicia whispered, as Corrin hobbled her way to the door. "Are you awake...?"

Corrin didn't answer her. She didn't have the mental capacity. She just hoped Felicia would fall back asleep and Corrin could go deal with the noise and then join them and it'd be fine. 

The corridor outside was torchlit. That was strange... the torches were usually all extinguished at night, and re-lit by magic in the morning... was it morning already? She glared dully at the torches for a moment, but the light was so bright it just hurt her head even more, so she instead hid her eyes from them and shuffled down the corridor, one hand against the wall to guide herself, and the other clutching her dragonstone to her head like an ice pack. She could feel the stone throbbing, too. Everything was thumping to the beat of that tapping sound. Out here, it was far louder... sharper... drawing ever nearer. A corridor near the outside, maybe. But she could hear something else along with it. Some... tinkling sound. Tiny pieces of metal ringing against one another... 

...Armor...? 

She slowed, lifting her eyes, squinting. Her heart rate was rising faster now, anxiety building from formless into something very real. This - maybe she was still asleep? Maybe this was just the next phase of one of her horrible bloody dreams. Behind her, she heard a shivering voice call again: "Lady Corrin?" She turned, and Felicia was there, hastily buttoning up a coat from Corrin's closet for some semblence of modesty. "Come back to bed," she said urgently. "You're not feeling well, are you?" 

Corrin pressed a finger angrily to her lips. Felicia froze up, startled. And Corrin listened to the sound. Tap. Tap. Tap... 

"An intruder?" Felicia mouthed, in horror. Corrin tensed. Felicia could hear it, too. 

She turned back towards the sound, now trying to move towards it as silently as possible. Intruder. Intruder? Why had Felicia said that? It could just be anybody, right? Why would Felicia think it was an intruder? How would you even get into the castle? Corrin knew it had a pretty robust exterior guard, complete with night shifts and everything... so naturally, now that Felicia had suggested the worst possible case, it was all Corrin could think about, anxiety starting to rise outright into fear. But it _wasn't_ an intruder. Couldn't be. Just someone going around in the early morning... she glanced outside, now that she was near an exit to a courtyard, she glanced up at the starry night sky, and thought, _it's very early in the morning for all the torches to be lit..._

She paused, bracing sideways against the wall - her head was pounding! The dragonstone felt angry and hot in her hands, like it might burn her... Why couldn't she just have been allowed to sleep?! She'd been having such a good day, too! But now because of this, she was going to feel sick and tired and bitter all day tomorrow... 

Shouldn't Felicia have caught up to her by now? She looked back towards her. She had darted behind a pillar and was now hiding there frozen, staring in horror at something Corrin couldn't see, hands over her mouth. So, Corrin turned the other direction, instead, now looking towards the courtyard.

There were two figures there, but she only really saw one of them - a man with dark, chilling armor in black and purple, a cape sweeping behind him in the faint breeze from the outdoors, a creased brow over a sharply angled jawline and crowned with a black circlet atop jagged honey-blonde hair... a familiar man. She knew him. Her eyes popped and she couldn't stop herself from crying out his name in shock and relief. 

It was only after he turned to face her that he realized someone was standing at his side. And she'd seen his companion, too. Shorter. Long, fluffy grayish-white hair framing a child's face with gleaming red eyes not unlike Corrin, an ornate headpiece fanning out behind her with spikes tipped in crimson. Veronica, Princess of Embla. 

"I warned you we would be seen," Xander said coldly, as his eyes fixed on Corrin's. 

"What?" Corrin blinked. "What's - what's going on?" For just a moment her headache had faded, but now it was so bad she felt herself shaking. "Xander, that... that's you, right?" 

"Do you know this girl?" Veronica said disdainfully. "She has caused me many problems in the past..."

"My sister," Xander said dully. "Where is your sword, Corrin? Or do you make a habit of wandering about strange castles unclothed and unarmed?"

Unclothed? Right. Corrin was wearing just a robe, which was probably not tied as tightly as it ought to be. But she didn't care about that. "What are you talking about?" she managed. "Why are you here? Did Kiran summon you?! Why didn't you - say anything?! Why is she here?!"

"Kill her," Veronica said icily. "Then let's go. We have other things to do."

So, Xander drew his sword, and raised it. 

"What?" Corrin staggered back in shock, and he hesitated. "What are you doing?! Why are you listening to her?!"

"Why do you hesitate?" Veronica sighed. "Here I thought this would be exciting for a moment. Do I need to repeat myself?"

"Defend yourself," Xander said firmly, to Corrin, and he stepped forward to match her - he made to swing, but Corrin's adrenaline surged and she lunged forward, burying her shoulder in his chest; he staggered back, winded, and Corrin grabbed his collar - she could feel her muscles rippling under her shoulders, scales bursting from her skin and twisting around her forearms as she threw him into the wall beside her - and then all at once they were gone and she was stumbling back, breathing heavily. Shaking her head she looked wildly towards Veronica, and Veronica stepped back as well, quickly raising her tome. 

"Stop!" Corrin shouted. "Stop, stop all of this! You shut up!" She pointed angrily at Veronica, and then turned to Xander. "Xander, put your sword down! Stop playing around!" 

"We can't risk being caught here," Veronica said warningly -

" _Shut up!_ " Corrin roared, but that moment of distraction was enough that Xander had picked himself up and stomped towards her again - Siegfried sung in the air and Corrin tripped backwards trying to evade, the blade catching her arm, and unbidden power once again coursed through her shoulder in an attempt to harden it before it could cut through her; it was partially successful, but he still had struck a blow - there was still a sharp cutting pain in her arm - and when her mind fully registered that pain, it shattered.

Behind them Felicia watched as Corrin lashed out with one fist, a single half-transformed punch strong enough to knock Xander to the floor and skidding back towards the opposide end of the hall; that hand swung downward as she fell to her knees, enough power left in it to pulverize the tile beneath her, and with an agonized scream Corrin's wings burst from her shoulders, horns twisted outward from her skull... Felicia backpedaled, panicking - Corrin was out of control now, and without Azura here, she wasn't sure how they were ever going to get her to calm down. Maybe that was for the best, in some twisted sense?! Prince Xander was supposed to be one of the most powerful warriors Nohr had ever known... could Corrin as a dragon contain him? But that still left the matter of... the woman at his side... 

Felicia couldn't see her anymore, though, because Corrin had fully transformed, her dragon form blocking the hallway with wings spread and flooding the air with a metallic screech. Xander looked horrified, though. Maybe... this was Felicia's chance? Corrin's dragon form was still vulnerable to spells, so if that woman's book had been a tome...! Steeling herself, Felicia gripped the knife she'd brought with her from Corrin's room, and darted behind the dragon along the wall; the prince's sword clashed against her horns, another rumbling snarl emanating from Corrin's throat, and behind them Felicia caught sight of the woman casting something, dark energy swirling about her hands - 

"Gotcha!" Felicia cried, her arm flashing - she'd spent a long time learning to throw knives, because it was the only thing she wasn't ever allowed to screw up. Her target cried out in alarm and tried to shy away from it, so a throw meant for her tome instead landed in her arm - but that was still just as good. She screamed in pain... and then lashed out at Felicia, her eyes gleaming dangerously, her uncast spell now changing targets. 

But before the energy could reach her a blast of flame overtook it and the spell dissipated. From the corridor behind the mage came Roy, fully clothed, his own sword raised. "M-Master Roy!" Felicia gasped, in shock. 

"Are you alright?!" Roy shouted, hurrying to position himself between Felicia and the wounded girl - but he stared in shock at the fight in the corridor, as Corrin and Xander broke apart from one another and stood at neutral, Xander with his sword raised and Corrin with her horns lowered... he took in that scene and turned back to Felicia, wide-eyed. "What's going on here? Where's Corrin?"

Felicia stared at him blankly. _What do you mean, where's Corr-_

He didn't know. 

"Don't worry about her!" Felicia lied. Roy nodded and turned his attention back to the mage. 

"Xander," the girl said curtly, "I'm going ahead to the obelisk. Catch up when you're finished here." She stretched out her bloodied arm; with a flash of light the blood seemed to ignite, and a burst of smoke overwhelmed them until Roy was able to clear it away with a burst of fire from his sword, but Veronica herself had already bolted - Roy took off after her through the courtyard. Meanwhile Corrin roared and Xander grunted, and as Felicia turned to face them she saw Corrin tossing the prince down the hall and outside into the courtyard like a pillow, before lunging after him with her wings scraping against the archways in her wake. 

Felicia wanted to help. She wanted to fight with them. But she was underarmed, underarmored, and both of those things aside - clearly well out of her league. She couldn't fight. The only thing she could do was try to find help. 

"I'll be back!" she shouted, voice quivering, but Corrin almost certainly didn't hear her. Either way, she sprinted back into the castle, shouting Kiran's name at the top of her lungs. 

 

Kiran had already known this was a diversion, in her heart of hearts. She just hadn't imagined that Veronica would be so bold as to try to infiltrate the castle itself while they were distracted. To her credit... it was so wild that it very nearly worked. 

If not for Corrin waking in the middle of the night and finding them, if not for Roy chasing after the princess when she tried to escape, if not for Felicia's frantic warning - had any one of those things been missing, Veronica would have succeeded. She would have destroyed the summoning obelisk that allowed Kiran to draw in new heroes, and the Order would have been crippled. Her plan failed by nothing more than stupid dumb luck. But sometimes, that's all it takes. 

A unit of cavalry stormed the halls where Corrin and Xander had been fighting; Eirika stayed behind to lend Corrin her blade, but their melee was far more serious than she'd expected. From just a glance, given that Corrin's physical strength was so great that she could easily knock Xander aside or hurl him from her horns with a twist of her neck, it shouldn't have been a close fight. But it was. 

For all that Corrin was able to push Xander around, every time she did she was losing an exchange; Siegfried would flash through a horn, or lash out at her neck or shoulder, and leave her with another stinging, burning injury that her adrenaline refused to acknowledge until they all together forced her to return to human form, curled up, shivering and whimpering in pain; Eirika took to her defense astride her horse, but she wasn't prepared for Xander's raw talent as a swordsman either, clearly well-versed in both mounted and infantry combat. 

Even without a reach weapon he was able to dismount Eirika, and though Eirika was rather proud of her swift recovery, she didn't fare any better on foot. She was faster, but she wasn't stronger. Her attacks couldn't weave through his unflinching defense, and each of his ripostes forced Eirika to disengage entirely. She could feel that if she didn't make some finishing move soon, one of his strikes would hit home before she could react... 

She stumbled backwards over something in the grass - but at that very moment Corrin rose up in dragon form again and slammed her horns into the ground between them, forcing Xander back, giving Eirika a few critical seconds to collect herself. Now reset to neutral, she could resume her duel, with Corrin providing additional pressure on Xander's flank, but... even with two adversaries Xander fended both of them off until Corrin's strength ran out again. 

There wasn't any more time. If she allowed him a second chance at the one-on-one fight, the outcome would be the same, but now with Corrin even more exhausted and wounded she wouldn't get any more miraculous saves. So instead Eirika swept into his range before he could even turn around, making herself vulnerable in hopes of catching him off-guard. 

She didn't. His sword was positioned to parry before he himself was fully facing Eirika. She knew from the moment their blades touched that she'd been seen through, and bitterly conceded in her mind - as exposed as she was, she was disarmed within seconds, and the shimmering red sword was pointed at her neck. 

"Well fought," she said through clenched teeth.

"I admit," her opponent replied, "that I have not been so thoroughly challenged in some time. You have my respect. May we fight again another day." And then he fled. 

 

Ephraim, Leo, and Cecilia had continued on to the obelisk, where Veronica and Roy dashed to and fro in their duel - with the cavalry present, though, the princess was forced to abandon her objective entirely. With Kiran watching from a high exterior wall, using some magic her adversaries couldn't follow, Veronica slipped away from the reinforcements, ran back towards the courtyard, called Xander to her side, and teleported away. 

Kiran would later learn from Kagero that Veronica had reappeared at the main battle near the castle's front and ordered a retreat. The whole battle started and ended before the Askrian military could mobilize. The royal knights would give chase within the hour, but they'd emerge into the valley floor and find that Veronica's army had vanished without a trace. 

But she wouldn't find that out until later.

 

"Corrin," Eirika gasped, as soon as she realized the threat was gone. Thankfully she was mostly unhurt; she dashed over to Corrin's side, but Corrin cried out indistinctly and scrambled away. "Wh-...?! Are you..."

Someone dashed out from the corridor that emptied into the yard - Felicia, the girl that had come to warn them in the first place - she skidded to her knees beside Corrin and gathered her up in her arms, and Corrin latched on and curled up around her, shaking. "You're okay," Felicia was whispering, her voice somewhere nebulous between soothing and desperate. "You're okay, Corrin." 

The others rode back in from the adjoining terrace; Ephraim dropped down beside Eirika, but Cecilia and Leo continued on towards Corrin, the former awkwardly maintaining distance as Leo joined in trying to comfort her. It took a moment before Corrin was able to sit upright, clutching her head - there were dark marks and bloodied scratches marking her arms and face, but she seemed to be breathing and moving just fine. Leo beckoned Cecilia over, and she dropped down with her staff, doing her best to soothe the immediate pains and heal whatever damage she could. 

"He disarmed you," Ephraim observed quietly - Eirika whirled, startled, as he presented her with Sieglinde; she snatched it away and sheathed it, sighing reflexively and relaxing once it was back where it belonged. 

"I underestimated him," she admitted. "But I was able to stop him from hurting Corrin." 

Another man approached them on foot - one of Ephraim's new friends, Roy, right. He and Ephraim exchanged low words, and then Roy leaned in towards Eirika. "What happened to her?" he asked nervously. "Is she okay?"

"Corrin?" Eirika said blankly. "She was fighting one of the intruders alone before I arrived. We were able to defend ourselves, but... he outmatched the both of us." She sighed heavily, turning back to Corrin. "If not for her I don't think I'd have survived. I think she's alright, just... shaken up." Roy didn't seem reassured, but he didn't move or reply, and after a moment Ephraim rested a hand on his shoulder and guided him out of the courtyard again. 

"Don't linger too long," he called back to Eirika. 

"I need to thank her," Eirika replied. Ephraim nodded understanding, and took his leave. 

It took a couple minutes more before Corrin seemed... approachable. When she did step forward she did so carefully, distantly afraid of upsetting her again. She hadn't ever seen anyone in such a state before, but knowing full well just how vicious Corrin could be in a fight, she didn't really want to test her limits. Corrin watched her with her bangs shadowing her face, reserved and shy, but... not angry. When she was within conversational distance, she settled onto her knees carefully, matching their height. 

"Thank you for keeping her safe," Leo sighed, pinching his nose. Eirika nodded silently. She'd met him and Cecilia already, after Corrin had referred her to him as a mentor in dark magic. The maid on Corrin's other side was composing herself in Corrin's shoulder. But Corrin's attention was focused on Eirika. 

It wasn't like looking at a human. That fixed gaze, attentive and motionless, unerring. She was being appraised by a powerful wild creature, determining whether or not she was a threat. 

"Thank you for your help, Corrin," Eirika said quietly. "I'm glad you're alright."

Corrin seemed to consider her words for a moment. Then, slowly, she nodded. Eirika sighed with relief. 

"You should be on your way, I think," Leo added - to Cecilia, mostly. "Before the rest of our family shows up." 

"Just as well, I suppose," Cecilia sighed. "I think I've done all I can." She rose to her feet. Eirika made to stand, too, but Corrin made a... whimpering sound, perhaps? And Eirika paused, watching her with concern and surprise.

"Roy," Corrin said faintly. "Where is Roy?"

"He's okay," Eirika promised. "My brother led him back inside."

But Corrin looked distraught. "I need him," she gasped. "Where...?"

"Lady Corrin," the maid whispered, "I will take you to Roy later."

"I promise you he is safe," Eirika repeated firmly. "Please rest for now, Corrin." Corrin nodded reluctantly, and leaned into the maid's arms, hiding her face. "Thank you again." She could see Corrin nod, very faintly, and Eirika decided that was good enough for now. 

So, she and Cecilia walked back into the castle together, silently at first. "It's strange," Cecilia said softly, after they'd rounded a corner. "The air is so heavy, don't you think? It feels as though we've lost."

"Yes, it is," Eirika agreed quietly. "But sometimes... fighting a battle at all is a loss already."

_I kind of wish that we didn't have to fight at all, but..._

_I do, too,_ Eirika had started to say. _But as long as we can keep the people of this kingdom safe, I feel that is a fight worth taking._

"I know what you mean," Cecilia sighed. "Here we had thought we were making good progress against Veronica, but... if this is what she's willing to do... I fear the war is only just starting."

"Yes," Eirika murmured. "I think we all fear that."


End file.
